Eddie Boyd was a blues pianist, singer and songwriter who made his primary impact on the Chicago scene during the 1940s and '50s, before becoming a popular figure in the American Folk Blues tours of Europe during the '60s and beyond. Born on the same Mississippi plantation as Muddy Waters, and a half-brother of Memphis Slim, he moved to Memphis in the late '30s and in 1941 headed for Chicago, working in steel mills to finance his music activities. He played on many musicians' sessions, and from 1947 recorded under his own name, initially for RCA, but subsequently for Regal, J.O.B., Herald and most notably Chess, before working with several other labels at the start of the '60s. His combination of boogie and jazz-tinged styles brought him an R&B No. 1 in 1952 with "Five Long Years" and subsequent Top 3 R&B hits with "24 Hours" and "Third Degree". This great-value 50-track 2-CD set comprises selected A and B sides from the 66 tracks he released on singles across this era for the RCA-Victor, J.O.B., Herald, Chess, Bea & Baby, Keyhole, Mojo & Art-Tone labels, and so represents a solid cross-section of his work. It's a entertaining showcase for his ability to work across the blues spectrum, from moody slow blues to fine rocking blues alongside some of Chicago's best musicians, and it's an enlightening introduction to an underrated bluesman who merits a great deal more attention than he has received over the years
1 I Had to Let Her Go - Little Eddie Boyd with J.T. Brown's Boogie Band
2 Kilroy Won't Be Back - Little Eddie Boyd with J.T. Brown's Boogie Band
3 Unfair Lovers - Little Eddie Boyd and His Boogie Band
4 Rosa Lee Swing - Little Eddie Boyd and His Boogie Band
5 Playmate Shuffle - Little Eddie Boyd and His Boogie Band
6 Getting My Divorce - Little Eddie Boyd and His Boogie Band
7 Why Did She Leave Me - Little Eddie Boyd and His Boogie Band
8 Mr. Highway Man - Little Eddie Boyd and His Boogie Band
9 Baby What's Wrong with You - Little Eddie Boyd and His Trio
10 Eddie's Blues - Little Eddie Boyd and His Trio
11 What Makes These Things Happen to Me - Little Eddie Boyd and His Trio
12 Chicago Is Just That Way - Little Eddie Boyd and His Trio
13 Why Don't You Be Wise, Baby - Eddie Boyd
14 I Gotta Find My Baby - Eddie Boyd
15 I'm Pleading - Eddie Boyd Trio
16 Five Long Years - Eddie Boyd
17 Blue Coat Man - Eddie Boyd
18 Cool Kind Treatment - Eddie Boyd
19 I'm Goin' Downtown - Eddie Boyd and His Orchestra
20 24 Hours - Eddie Boyd
21 The Tickler - Eddie Boyd
22 Third Degree - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
23 Back Beat - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
24 Nothing But Trouble - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
- Disc 2 -
1 Picture in the Frame - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
2 Hush Baby Don't You Cry - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
3 Drifting - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
4 Rattin' and Runnin' Around - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
5 The Story of Bill - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
6 Real Good Feeling - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
7 I'm a Prisoner - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
8 Life Gets to Be a Burden - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
9 Four Leaf Clover - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
10 Just a Fool - Eddie Boyd and the Chess Men
11 I Got a Woman - Eddie Boyd
12 Hotel Blues - Eddie Boyd
13 I Got the Blues - Eddie Boyd
14 She's the One - Eddie Boyd
15 Save Her Doctor - Eddie Boyd
16 I'm Comin' Home - Eddie Boyd
17 Thank You Baby - Eddie Boyd
18 Blue Monday Blues - Eddie Boyd
19 The Blues Is Here to Stay - Eddie Boyd
20 Come on Home - Eddie Boyd & the Daylighters
21 Reap What You Sow - Eddie Boyd & the Daylighters
22 All the Way - Eddie Boyd
23 Where You Belong - Eddie Boyd
24 Vacation from the Blues - Eddie Boyd
25 It's Too Bad - Eddie Boyd
26 Operator - Eddie Boyd
Eddie Boyd was a blues pianist, singer and songwriter who made his primary impact on the Chicago scene during the 1940s and '50s, before becoming a popular figure in the American Folk Blues tours of Europe during the '60s and beyond. Born on the same Mississippi plantation as Muddy Waters, and a half-brother of Memphis Slim, he moved to Memphis in the late '30s and in 1941 headed for Chicago, working in steel mills to finance his music activities. He played on many musicians' sessions, and from 1947 recorded under his own name, initially for RCA, but subsequently for Regal, J.O.B., Herald and most notably Chess, before working with several other labels at the start of the '60s. His combination of boogie and jazz-tinged styles brought him an R&B No. 1 in 1952 with "Five Long Years" and subsequent Top 3 R&B hits with "24 Hours" and "Third Degree". This great-value 50-track 2-CD set comprises selected A and B sides from the 66 tracks he released on singles across this era for the RCA-Victor, J.O.B., Herald, Chess, Bea & Baby, Keyhole, Mojo & Art-Tone labels, and so represents a solid cross-section of his work. It's a entertaining showcase for his ability to work across the blues spectrum, from moody slow blues to fine rocking blues alongside some of Chicago's best musicians, and it's an enlightening introduction to an underrated bluesman who merits a great deal more attention than he has received over the years
